Honing on Microsoft’s strategy as a “devices and services” company, its India-born CEO Satya Nadella on Thursday said the US-based software giant will invest in data and applied sciences as well as software engineering for the push as a “mobile-first, cloud-first” firm.

In a letter to employees of Microsoft, which completed the acquisition of Nokia’s handset business in April, Nadella said that “nothing is off the table” on the firm’s thinking of shifting its culture to deliver on its core strategy, even “mergers and acquisitions”.

Microsoft have described itself as a devices and services company and while the devices and services description was helpful in starting the transformation, there is “now need to hone in on our unique strategy,” Nadella said.

“At our core, Microsoft is the productivity and platform company for the mobile-first and cloud-first world,” he added.

He further said: “Nothing is off the table in how we think about shifting our culture to deliver on this core strategy. Organisations will change. Mergers and acquisitions will occur. Job responsibilities will evolve. New partnerships will be formed.

“Tired traditions will be questioned. Our priorities will be adjusted. New skills will be built. New ideas will be heard. New hires will be made. Processes will be simplified.”

Outlining the steps to build on Microsoft’s strategy, he said first it is important to obsess over the customers.

“Further, you will see investments in two new or combined functions: Data and Applied Science and Software Engineering,” Nadella said.

He added that each engineering group will have Data and Applied Science resources that will focus on measurable outcomes for the products and predictive analysis of market trends, which will allow Microsoft to innovate more effectively.

“Software Engineering will evolve so that information can travel more quickly, with fewer breakpoints between the envisioning of a product or service and a quality delivery to customers,” Hyderabad-born Nadella said.

He further said that in order to deliver the experiences its customers need for the mobile-first and cloud-first world, Microsoft will modernise its engineering processes to be “customer-obsessed, data-driven, speed-oriented and quality-focused.”

“We will be more effective in predicting and understanding what our customers need and more nimble in adjusting to information we get from the market. You can expect to have fewer processes… You will see fewer people get involved in decisions and more emphasis on accountability,” he added.

He added: “Over the next six months you will see new investments in our workforce, such as enhanced training and development and more opportunities to test new ideas and incubate new projects.”